source: Hayride

The front cover of the DVD has a bloke in black hoodie with Jason from Friday the 13th hockey mask but instead we get a Jason lookalike big sack over his head just like Jason before hockey mask killing with a pitchfork.

I am baffled to see this movie. You may have seen many nonsense movies but i bet you haven't seen anything like this before. What kind of stuff is this. Must watch at earliest such a memorable stuff and decide.

Classic(?) horror premise, boring storyline, you already know this movie. decent acting, especially in pivotal points, but who doesnt know the ending? unfortunately set up for a sequel, ok yeah ill watch that too

Don't be put off by the 'cheeky' packaging. It features a hooded figure that could be Michael Myers (and who doesn't appear in the film) and the 'Halloween' part of the title is highlighted in a familiar font. But this is nothing to do with any 'Halloween' series – it was originally called 'Hayride' and then 'Pitchfork Murders' before settling on its current derivative title. Colours are quite garish, unusually for a horror – making the grass look grassier, the (CGI) rain look rainier and the blood look bloodier! Then the cutesy young couple show up making fun of creepy local superstitions. They are not obnoxious in the way teens are often portrayed as being, but as their bland, squeaky exposition continues, I look forward to the prospect of the stocky escaped 'bat **** crazy' killer coming for them – although as events roll on, their inoffensive simplicity is probably the most consistent thing about this story. The Halloween Hayride takes place at the same time as the legendary killer appears to be on a killing spree. So while the young people are having a great time scaring each other, nearby a couple of policemen stumble upon a number of the killer's victims. Do they warn the youngsters about what is happening? Not at all. This is a curious lack of logic that makes it difficult to retain interest in the goings-on. The twist is that the person we think is the killer actually isn't, and the heroine decides that the moment of their assailant's death is the time to announce she is pregnant. Cue a post credits scene that reveals the killer isn't dead after all. Low budget films can be incredibly good. They belie a lack of resources by being unconstrained by the limitations imposed by big studios and money-men. But when the main purpose appears to be the intention of making a horror-by-numbers that has been done many times before in the last 25 years, it's confounding.

How to describe "Hayride" ? A rather pointless slasher flick, a genre that by 2012 had been a cliché for two if not three decades. Here we see a mysterious character - mysterious in a sense, because there is never any doubt as to his identity, not that it matters - murdering people left right and centre, guys as well as gals just in case there are some in the audience who might be tempted to play the "violence against women" card. Audience, what audience? Heck, would anyone watch this if it were not on YouTube? Seriously, as someone said of a Snoopy Green film, I saw it for free, and I still want my money back. If you are into gore, very weak special effects, the occasional shriek of a damsel, and a mystery that can't be solved because it is really no mystery, you might find something of interest here, or as Abraham Lincoln said once, people who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.

Hayride is a story about a convicted serial killer who is being transferred and escapes. While this is happening a little ways down the road is the annual hayride event that is built around the legend of Pitchfork. Pitchfork's story is told to us as flashbacks at a campfire hang out, his story is not so much a serial killer one at first, he is a man who was over protected of his daughter and family and when his daughter ran away he went into a rage and started killing people to find her. The locals are not sure if this story is fake or real, and they are also unaware that a couple miles down the road an escaped serial is on the run. That is what makes this film such a fun little watch; it gives you two threats, one that is real and one that is an urban legend? This film plays out like the beginning of something more than an actual film, which is not a knock. This felt like the first chapter of a story that I hope we get more stories from. Like the original Halloween, a lot of the movie is story based and dialog based, but the dialog all seems like they are trying to build a franchise or at least a sequel, they are making the story so interesting that you know they were looking past part one. This is a low budget indie slasher, and the film really kept a decent pace, though the story telling at times does seem to get a little heavy, but trust me the third act of this film makes up for it. While the kills are low budget, the suspense and music to the scenes really was a winner. This film builds a tense, and does not let up till it gets to the payoff to the scene, which for the most part was fun and jump worthy. The ending was smart and clever, and it will get you trying to think about everything you just watched, because it painted a scenario that has me hoping they give us more. This is a horror film made by a fan for the fans. This makes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre look like Sesame Street, the chainsaw is dead it is time for you to meet the Pitchfork. Horror has a new icon. Forget Hollywood, support the Indies they are still respecting you horror fans, wait till you see this one. 8.5 out of 10 wicked channel.com

Halloween Haunting (Hayride) benefits from rustic environments, grounded characters and sound design that hits the nail on the head way more than it misses. More Tobe Hooper than John Carpenter, The film displays the best of what rural genre film making can offer. Vast fields and abandoned country houses is where most of the film takes place and it contributes to the suspense no end. This is a film that relies on mood more than anything else and provides it in spades. Few negatives but they do effect the film considerably. The camera work firstly leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the shots are either overtly shaky, blown out or too dark. Natural light is relied upon too much and gives off an amateurish feel regarding the cinematography. Not to say there aren't some great vistas taken within the magic hour, but more often than it should, the film becomes too dark to see. Whilst the sound design is really impressive, the actual music and songs featured in the film are either cliched or unfitting. This is especially noticeable in the campfire story scene, where the classical music chosen is just poorly implemented and is just a determent. Halloween Haunting is a moody southern horror film that has great atmosphere and at times engrossing storytelling. It is quite bloodless by today's standards, but it makes up for that with suspense and tension. I recommend it fully.

Two events collide in HAYRIDE creating the backbone of the story: #1- A behemoth-sized, mass-murdering maniac named Duncan escapes custody and goes on a rampage. #2- an annual Halloween hayride takes place nearby. This occurs after the hayride operators have told the tale of "Pitchfork", a legendary murderer. Needless to say, Duncan shows up and the gushy fun begins. HAYRIDE is an ultra-low-budget film that makes the best of its limited resources. Are there moments of clunky-ness? Yes. Is there some cheeeze? Yes, but overall it's an effective enough Halloween retro-slasher. Hell, there's even a bit of character development! Now, THAT'S scary!...

Rural Alabama, the Moon is full and it's time for the annual Halloween Hayride event. Bodies are piling up, is it the work of an escaped killer or is the legend of the maniac Pitchfork really true? I'll get straight to the point, this is a poor and unoriginal movie. Pitchfork wears a sack mask (as did Jason in Friday the 13th part 2), we even have a cop called Loomis (Halloween)! The only actor of any credit is Richard Tyson, but let's be honest that's not saying much. Some scenes have incredibly annoying shakey cam, combined with bad acting this makes a rather horrible viewing experience. Most of the kills are off screen or in the dark, there is little in the way of gore and absolutely zero nudity. However Hayride does have a decent enough kill count, I liked the rural locations and the addition of some classical Beethoven music was welcome. If, like me, you are a die hard slasher movie fan and you're in need of a stalk 'n' slash fix then Hayride will just about suffice. I do feel a tad generous awarding this 4/10 but I have seen far worse than this. There is a brief post end credits scene that hints at a sequel, which did indeed come about three years later.